Join The Party

Shnat has officially started. We are on "Netzer Sem" (Said like a true Aussie) so for this week it's just us two South Africans trying to find our way through the sea of Australian accents.

Sunday 5 February
Lily and I busted a huge ass mission at 8am on Sunday morning, for breakfast and a sim card. We didnt quite get a sim card but had the best bagele (Bagel) froms "Sams Bagels". It was so American. We had to meet at Beit Shmuel at 10 to start orientation so we lugged all our luggage the "short" walk there, Mor setting the pace at what can only be described as a brisk walk. Not an easy feat pulling approximately 33 kilos worth of shiz behind you.

Nervously we greeted out Shnat Director and Madricha at the door, not quite sure if we were in the right place at all.

Then there was the anxiously anticipated acquaintanceship of the Australians. Hows that for alliteration?Okay, I'll stop. We nervously peeked round the door at a room full of smiling faces and were bombarded by hugs and questions, many of wich I couldn't understand due to the thick accent from down under. We soon made friends and jokes were flying across the room. We had a small welcome ceremony overlooking the Old City from the balcony, and a tour of the Bedit Shmuel site. This was followed by a Rules and Regs discussion and a trip through Jerusalem.

This was by far, the most exciting thing. Our Maddies (Noa and Guy) arranged a small tour/scavenger hunt through down town Jerusalem, mainly to show us around some of the cool places and to get our bareings. The hunt included things like:

• Convincing citizens to sign a petition to change the Jerusalem symbol to a kangaroo
• Getting bar tenders to sing songs.
• Pretending we were on boats.
• Trying to taste ice cream flavours.
• Spotting Arsim.
• Finding cool new things and
• Eating soup.

The soup was my favourite part because it was cold outside and the soup restaurant was the coolest place ever. Not only can you eat soup served by strange and interesting people, but you can also play checkers and a chess if you wish.

After dinner, we all felt obligated, it being our first night as official Shnatties to go out for a celebratory drink. We went back to our new little discovery. A small hole in the wall that looks as though one would be human traffic-ed from is actually a really vibe-y little bar. The bar tender is a Palestinian and so Lily got into heated debates with him, but its our little secret hide out. We bought a local Israeli beer and a local/imported Palestinian beer and sat around chatting about life the universe and other round things.

I' going to tag one of the walls.

We ate waffles for dinner.

Saturday 4 February

The Purple Shop just off Kikor-Tzion street that you'll miss if you blink twice is one of the many wonders in the little ally ways of Jerusalem.

Omnomnom.

We have to take the Australians there one of these days.

An Indie Kinda Love

The Art of Getting By.

"We live alone, we die alone. Everything else is just an illusion"

It's the sweetest love story, about a boy who has spent his whole life just getting by. Just before the end of
his high school career his teachers threaten him with suspension because he hasnt handed in any work. He makes friends with his love interest, Sallly, who teaches him how to be a better person and channel his artistic talent. Wank, wank wank. Its filmed so beautifully, and has the best sound track in the world. It make my heart smile and my eyes leak.
The only downside is Freddie Highmores terrible American accent. They really should just let hi be British. Emma Roberts looks better with brown hair.

"You're going to have to start using that brain of yours, to access that talent of yours, to show that beautiful soul of yours."

Dedication:

"I've never been good at finding things, but I'm really good at loosing things"

One of the best indie movies I have ever seen. I'll sacrifice my left, big toe and say that its even better than 500 Days of Summer. Its rare in movies that you see such a well developed character that is portrayed in such a fantastic way. It starts as porn. Just a warning.

It's Kind of a Funny Story:

Craig: "Do you like music?"

Noelle: "Do you like breathing?"

Craig checks himself into an adult phsychiatric ward, and find a reason to live again. Doesn't that sound beautiful? He finds a lovelly lady who is the same age and they start up an unconventional romance. I love the way its filmed, especially the amazing concert scene randomly in the middle. That's my favourite part.

When I watched this movie, I was very depressed and it made me feel slightly more optimistic and excited about life.

Crazy. Stupid. Love:

"It's like you're Photoshoped!"

Ryan Gosling shirtless. Need I say more?

It's such an amazing movie, I wont spoil it. Steve Carel is so funny. Emma Stone is sexy and hilerial. Ryan Gosling is shirtless and its jaut all round cute, and wonderful and amazing.

Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached:

They're essentially the same movie, although No Strings Attached, with Aston Kutcher and Natalie Portman is so much better. The only reason I watched Friends with Bennifits is because Mila Kunis is a babe.
The best part is the flash mob, although it was fantastically scripted - the flirtacious banter between the two is reminicent of a real couple trying to fight the urge to fall inove- you do, almost, believe it

No Strings Attached

Friends With Benefits

These are just a few of my favorite movies/ Movies I've recently watched.

Peace in the Middle East

Kathryn

I Layer My Life in Shades of Grey:

I feel like I'm all to indecisive and confused. Weighing out options, from what to wear, to breakfast and when to eat it is often the dilemmas that float like clouds through my days.
A haze of grey.
It seems like my mind is a constant whirl or choices.
Overthinking

We are adventuring.

It's all cool you know, cause were like adventurers.

The flight was rather terrible. So lets not talk about it. We didn't sleep for the most part so we all had the most intense spoon hour trying to get our bags off the carousel.

Rosa: "What does your bag look like?"
Me: "Like that one. Oh! It is that one!"

And then we all had to run after it.
This happened like four times.

Anat took us for Shakshukah in down town Jerusalem. It was amazeballs. The little restaurant is in a book shop, so the walls were lined with bookshelves and the menu's came in famous Israeli books.
She let me n Nicole sleep on her bed for a few hours before we all sleepily made our way back to town and to Mors' flat, where Lily n I spooned so beautifully. We went to shul, and sat awkwardly not knowing what to do, but the Rabbi was a woman and the Canter played guitar and sang, so it was fine. Mor made the best most nom-ful soup ever, and we had salad. Because in Israel people just eat salad all the time. Its great.

This morning, being Saturday, and thus Shabbat, everything was closed. We got up at twelve and devised ourselves an adventure. We walked all the way to Rossco, to fetch Nicole.
Everyone said it was a 20 minute walk but we got lost six times over so it took a little longer.
Like two hours longer.
But we found Nicole and got a lot less lost and walked all the way back.
We splurged on some ice cream (odd because it's like 5 degrees outside and everyone thought we were insane.) We ate some Israeli Yemenite food: Malawach (Jarred would be so proud) and drank some Turkish coffee.

Now were safe and sound in Mors flat. Bed, moderately early tonight because tomorrow is a BIG DAY! We're moving to Beit Shmuel to start our Shnat adventures.

So much of excitement.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!

Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry.  Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.  there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame!  You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
 

Shnat and Other Fun Stories

I woke up this morning to congealed black eye make-up and knots in my hair. Disjointed memories of my last night in South Africa (at least for a while) drifted through my mind.

The day that we had all been waiting for, some more patent than others, had finally arrived. Its hard to believe that I've kind of been planning this since I was 11 and first found out what Netzer was. Our flight leaves tonight, at about 8pm and, as usual, I'm procrastinating like a beast. I've kind of packed already, there's still a few things here and there that I need to shove into bags, but all in good time dear readers. Unfortunately, the universe has decided to make this the most unbearable experience ever, and I have hay fever. I'm itchy all over and buried almost knee deep in snotty tissues.

So... Shnat right?
What the hell is that?

Its a ten month gap year program, in Israel, for people who have just finished high school. The first four months are "Etgar" or "Machon". From what I understand its like informal education and stuff. The next three months you do volunteering, and the last three months are spent working on a kibbutz.

So, as one does, I'll be keeping a blog thingi of all my adventures in Israel and the Real World over the next few months. I'll try my hardest to write at least once a week or something. Even if I don't post it, I'll write it and post it as soon as possible. Dates and everything.

I will also be posting all about Life, Love and fun things to do on the internet here:

and obviously I have facebook and skype (kathryn.kitty) for chats and loads of pictures.

For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. ~ Benjamin Button

Hamba Kgagle Mzanzi

Passionate, but fleeting.

People have been reading my journals since I could join letters together. I dont quite know how I feel about that yet. I think i'm getting used to it, but it still feels like someone has just used my toothbrush and not told me.  I suppose its my own fault. I only have myself to blame for this one. And the one before now. And the one before that. I dont think I'll ever learn.

But it doesnt do one any good to dwell on things or to freak out about the little things. Its all about the bigger picture, and sometimes I forget this, and I know I forget it a lot. I spend too much time freaking out about things to the point where I feel as though I can barely breath.

But, I'd rather live how my heart works: Intense, passionate parts, but fleeting.

The things that I write on my blog are my thoughts, mostly postd in the wee early hours of the morning, or atleast typed out, read, re read, edited and sometimes even scrapped all together during those moments of existencial cisies and ceral parties. But, I cant bring myself to delete them. To remove them. Nor can I bring myself to let them fade away from their purpose. Its like, if I dont post them, my thoughts grew for nothing.
I struggle with words. I struggle to articulate the things I want to. Its so much easier to just type, or write them down, but the meaning kind of gets lost. Thats one of the majour downsides. Theres no expression in text. But, all the people I claim to be 'in love' with. All the books I claim to 'love'. All the movies that I can rant on about for days-on-end are just passing moments that would otherwise go unheard, or unpublishhed without this silly little intenet diary.

Besides, I dont believe in "Love" anyway. Never have, and probably never will.

I know I'm ignoring my rules for life, because I dont believe that you should share your secrets because then they loose their magic and their power and they become less of what they are. Over exaggerated. Made to sound better than they are. The meaning lost, like an old story that no one can quite remember, or a joke without a punchline.

But on the other hand, when secrets are kept for too long, they're over dramatisised too, built up into something that is too grand- too much. The secret then loses its intensity. It becomes less magic.
We have to find the balance.

So, when I'm ready to divulge my secrets, or the little things that have been building up in my brain for ages, its because if I dont, they'll die. Or, More likely, I'll forget them. I feel like when I share these things, I'm not carrying the burden of the secret alone. (Subsequantly, I'd be a very bad murderer.)

So, you should probably read this blog the way it was meant to be read. To bad indie music and with the notion that tomorro, or the next day, or the one after that, I'll have changed my mind. Changed the meaning. Grown a little bit. Slept a little less and take it as intensly and passionatly and in the moment as possible. Thats all I can really ask you to remember. Thats all I can really ask of myself, of life, of people and of you.

~Kathryn

PS: If you try hard enough it rhymes.